High-Efficiency Industrial 130 kW cw Solid-State RF Amplifier for 1.3 GHz

Abstract A new 1.3 GHz solid-state high-power RF amplifier (SSA) has been built for the Lighthouse project in close cooperation between Cryoelectra and RI Research Instruments. The amplifier was developed by Cryoelectra as a scalable compact system with an RF-power density of 40kW/m 2 . Its industrial design is very reliable and easy to maintain. The SSA delivers a continuous RF output power of more than 130 kW with a wall-plug efficiency of 63% and with very low phase noise. The power is generated by 40 patented RF amplifier modules each containing 8 GaN transistor units. Their outputs are combined by a coaxial 8-way combiner in the center of the module. Each module is connected to the 4x9-way cable-free waveguide combiner network and can be exchanged in the event of fault within minutes thanks to quick connectors. A sophisticated control system continuously monitors the state of all components for reliable machine and personnel protection. Despite all the challenges encountered during development and production, the SSA was built and handed over to the client in the shortest possible time. It passed the acceptance test on site exceptionally well.